Puzzle pieces I remember one of my professors telling us when I was in college that there were some textbooks that students read exactly as they were assigned, and some texts were never read until after graduation. She went on to say that over the years we would probably read some “assigned texts” cover to cover, but in jigsaw puzzle fashion. This was certainly true of how I had read most books of the bible. I had a collection of puzzle pieces from different books that I had picked up at different stages in my Christian walk. What I have found from experience, though, is that it is very hard to imagine what the big picture will look like when all you are have in front of you are a handful of pieces from a large jigsaw puzzle. If only there was a way to begin to put the puzzle together… Over the past few years here at St. John’s we have been studying the scriptures together…often one book and chapter at a time. We do this so that we can begin to see the bigger picture of what God is doing in this collection of books we call the bible. One of the real treasures of reading through scripture… one book and one chapter at a time is seeing the “puzzle” come together. In a couple of weeks, we will pick up the Gospel of Luke again and finish what we had started earlier this year. Luke’s contribution to the bigger picture is to help us see Jesus through the eyes of those who were witnesses of his life, death, and resurrection. I hope you will study with us. My hope and prayer is that as we continue to study the scriptures we will see how the pieces fit together. And as we add each piece we will see more and more of the God who creates, rescues, redeems, and transforms us in His steadfast and faithful love. Blessings, Matthew+
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. | 
